Ze Tian Ji Way Of Choices Chapter 146 – Discussing Swords

Chapter 146 – Discussing Swords

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

Regardless of what Tang Thirty-Six said, Su Moyu naturally had his own judgment and choice. As the student representative of the Li Palace Academy, he certainly could not directly concede. Moreover, his stubborn and wooden personality had decided that even if his opponent was the mysterious and formidable wolf youth, he would not lose confidence.

He bowed to the examiner supervising the matches and then walked to the stone steps of the Hall of Was.h.i.+ng Away Dust.

The crowd gradually parted as Zhexiu walked over. Without pausing, he walked straight into the Hall of Was.h.i.+ng Away Dust.

The examinees looked at this youth's thin back with all manner of expressions. From morning until now, other than when he had spoken to the examiner, no one had heard his voice. They were all very curious to know just how strong this enigmatic wolf youth famed for his cold-blooded demeanor actually was, and what sort of person he was. As for the result of this match, no one was actually too concerned, because many people felt that the result of this match was already decided. Su Moyu, thirty-third on the Proclamation of Azure Sky, was certainly not weak, but his opponent was far too strong.

Chen Changsheng turned his head to glance at the pensive Luoluo as he recalled the mental blow the wolf youth had given him by turning his head for only an instant. He thought to himself, in a little while, if Luoluo were to lose to Tianhai Shengxue, it might actually be a good thing. At least she won't have to face that youth and won't encounter much danger.

The wooden door of the Hall of Was.h.i.+ng Away Dust slowly closed.

After a short period of time, it opened once more.

The examinees were somewhat amazed. Although there should have been no surprises with this match, such a swift conclusion had still astonished them somewhat.

The first to walk out of the Hall of Was.h.i.+ng Away Dust was probably the victor, the wolf youth Zhexiu.

He stood on the stone steps, looking at the Orthodox Academy's group standing at the forest's edge.

Over the course of the Grand Examination, this youth had always stood apart from the rest or walked at the very front, leaving people to mostly look at only his back. At this moment, quite a few people were seeing the front of him for the very first time.

He was dressed in a thin cloth s.h.i.+rt, with a cloth belt tied around his waist. His feet were bare and his pants ended three inches above his ankles. HIs attire was simple to the extreme.

There were no weapons on his person, yet he exuded an aura of extreme danger. He was like a sharp blade– no, he was the glimmer on the edge of the blade. Yes, his danger did not have a concrete shape, but a feeling. If one looked at him for too long, one might even feel their eyes beginning to ache.

Many examinees subconsciously drew back their gazes or turned to look elsewhere.

After a few moments, the wooden door of the Hall of Was.h.i.+ng Away Dust slowly closed. Su Moyu had not come out.

The examinees were rather surprised at this. One examinee couldn't help but ask, "Didn't you say that the losers could remain?"

The Li Palace priest glanced at Zhexiu and slightly frowned, then explained to the examinees, "The injuries that Su Moyu suffered were too severe. He was sent out of the Education Palace for treatment."

Upon hearing this, the crowd outside the Hall of Was.h.i.+ng Away Dust was cast into a deathly stillness. The examinees found it difficult to suppress their turbulent emotions and looked once more at the wolf youth.

There was shock in their gazes, and much more fear.

Su Moyu was the most outstanding student of the Li Palace, a young genius ranked thirty-third on the Proclamation of Azure Sky. Even if he was no match for the wolf youth, the battle had been so short, and there had presumably been many examiners watching, but the wolf youth had still managed to inflict such serious injuries on Su Moyu. Just how strong did he have to be to accomplish this?

Within the Hall of s.h.i.+ning Words, the Princ.i.p.al of the Li Palace Academy stared at the scene on the mirror of light with an incredibly gloomy expression.

The match that had taken place in the Hall of Was.h.i.+ng Away Dust had concluded long ago, and so the only thing the mirror of light showed was sand, the ground. On the lower edge was the carving of a green leaf, and also a few bloodstains.

Su Moyu had suffered extremely grim injuries. As he was in the Li Palace, there was probably no danger to his life, yet who knew if these injuries might affect his cultivation in the future?

He was the Princ.i.p.al of the Li Palace Academy, and he had many reasons to be angry, but he had no idea how to vent his fury.

Zhexiu and Su Moyu's match had begun too quickly and ended too swiftly. Let alone the Li Palace priests keeping control over the situation from the second floor, even if he were personally present, he would not have been able to stop that earlier scene of misery from occurring unless he had been on the stage in advance.

The opponents that the four examinees of the Orthodox Academy had drawn were the strongest possible, but he was well aware that this had been a rigged result. But Su Moyu, the student that the Li Palace Academy had placed their highest hopes on, had encountered a monster like Zhexiu in the second round. This could only be attributed to his awful luck.

Su Moyu's heavy injuries meant that he would have to withdraw from the compet.i.tion. Even if he had remarkable results in the literary test, he could at best enter the third banner. Advancing any further was an impossibility.

At this stage of the Grand Examination, all the students from the Li Palace Academy had been completely eliminated. Let alone the Mount Li Sword Sect, Scholartree Manor and Star Seizer Academy still had four students in the compet.i.tion. How could he not feel awkward?

With an ashen face, the Princ.i.p.al of the Li Palace Academy stood up and left the Hall of s.h.i.+ning Words with a brush of his sleeve, no longer interested in spectating the Grand Examination.

Princ.i.p.al Mao Qiuyu of the Heavenly Dao Academy, displeased that several important figures had influenced the drawing of lots to push the Orthodox Academy to the brink, had already left.

In the Hall of s.h.i.+ning Words, only three princ.i.p.als of the Six Ivies remained.

The second round of matches for the Grand Examination continued. Punches howled and swords rained down, true essence surged about in unease, but these were all things that occurred within the Hall of Was.h.i.+ng Away Dust, and rarely was this activity heard outside the hall. In the following matches, Zhuang Huanyu easily defeated his opponent, and the Mount Li Sword Sect's Qi Jian and Guan Feibai also very quickly entered the third round. The next to fight was a young scholar from Scholartree Manor.

It was the youngest of the four scholars partic.i.p.ating in Scholartree Manor, and also the strongest: Zhong Hui.

As he stood on the steps in front of the Hall of Was.h.i.+ng Away Dust and saw the sight before him, he wore a nasty expression. In Scholartree Manor, he was naturally the focus of attention, and even in a gathering of experts such as the Grand Examination, he still should have attracted the attention of many examinees when it was his turn to fight. However, no one was looking at him, which made him extremely uncomfortable.

The other examinees were not looking down on him. The ninth-ranked expert on the Proclamation of Azure Sky was worthy of being highly regarded, but Zhong Hui's opponent was quite obscure, and the next match just so happened to be one that everyone was focused on. Thus, the crowd was not looking at him, but at two other places.

These were the forest's edge, where the Orthodox Academy's group was standing, and the streambank, where the four disciples from Mount Li were standing.

Tang Thirty-Six would partic.i.p.ate in the next match, and at this moment, Chen Changsheng was crouched on the ground and speaking to him. There was a branch in his hand which he was using to draw on the ground. Luoluo was crouched at his side, her hand supporting her chin as she earnestly listened. Xuanyuan Po was standing above them, using his tall and st.u.r.dy body to block out the gazes of the crowd.

Chen Changsheng was currently explaining the essentials of the Mount Li Sword Style. This was not some last-minute preparation, but a very focused and formidable instruction. This was because he was currently taking the essentials of the Mount Li Sword Style and comparing them to several of Liang Banhu's famous matches. The lines drawn out on the ground by the tree branch were all sword moves.

Liang Banhu was precisely the opponent that Tang Thirty-Six was about to face.

"The quant.i.ty and purity of your true essence is a.s.suredly not up to your opponent's."

Chen Changsheng put down the tree branch and looked at Tang Thirty-Six's unconcerned face, earnestly saying, "Even if you stopped being as lazy as you were in Wenshui after coming to the capital, you know how bitterly the disciples of Mount Li train in the sword, so there's no need to argue about this. You are inferior to him."

Tang Thirty-Six spread apart his hands, indicating that he had no objections to this fact.

Chen Changsheng glanced at the streambank and then continued, "You and he are at about the same level of cultivation. As long as neither opponent has pa.s.sed that threshold, the differences in the upper level of Meditation won't have too much effect on the battle. Thus, if you want to win against him, you can only rely on your techniques."

Tang Thirty-Six's expression turned serious. "How should I begin?"

Chen Changsheng replied, "Be the first to attack."

Tang Thirty-Six arched his brows. "Isn't that the same strategy that you and Xuanyuan Po used in the first round?"

Chen Changsheng answered, "It's not the same, because all first strikes are feints. You have to prepare at least twenty sword techniques that you can link together so as to not give Liang Banhu any time to think. Strive to cause an error in his judgment, then when your sword energy is about to reach its peak, he will definitely expect you to use the Three Forms of Wenshui. That is where we will find our opportunity."

Upon saying this, he took up the tree branch once more and wrote a few words on the ground.

"Junior Brother, your and Tang Tang's cultivation levels are about the same. As he's studied with Chen Changsheng in the Orthodox Academy, it can be presumed that he's also advanced some in his swordplay, so he won't be much weaker than you in that aspect. However, he definitely will be weaker than you in quant.i.ty and purity of true essence, and he will also be inferior to you in terms of will."

Gou Hans.h.i.+ extended a hand into the stream and brought up some water to wash his face. He glanced at the Orthodox Academy's group by the forest's edge and then continued, "Tang Tang's most remarkable aspect is actually his personality. He likes walking unusual paths, and he truly is rather interesting when he becomes resolute. If I were Chen Changsheng, I would definitely place my only chance of victory on techniques."

On the side, Qi Jian was rather confused and asked, "Senior Brother, since both have about the same level of swordplay, how can they obtain victory through techniques?"

"Through the order, timing, and choice of sword techniques, and using sword techniques to build energy," Gou Hans.h.i.+ patiently explained.

Upon hearing these words, Guan Feibai recalled that compet.i.tion of swords he had with Luoluo in the Ivy Festival and silently nodded.

Liang Banhu turned to the forest's edge, his face, still a little childish, filled with self-confidence and calm as he said, "Chen Changsheng must be making a plan for him right now."

"Correct."

Gou Hans.h.i.+ looked at Liang Banhu and said, "Chen Changsheng will definitely think of a method to have Tang Tang build up energy through sword techniques and then end with some extraordinary and unexpected method to seek out a victory. Earlier, I said that Tang Tang's most outstanding aspect was that wild resolve of his, so I think that after he builds up energy, the sword technique he will use won't be the Three Forms of Wenshui. Although those three techniques are very powerful, they aren't resolute enough."

Liang Banhu fell into deep thought, beginning to recall the sword manuals he had read in Mount Li's Sword Hall.

Guan Feibai pondered the situation and realized that if it really was as his senior brother described, there truly was no good way of responding. If he were the one fighting against Tang Tang, he could probably just rely on his true essence and fight him head-on.

"Just fight him head-on," Gou Hans.h.i.+ advised Liang Banhu.

Liang Banhu was somewhat confused and Guan Feibai was astonished, thinking to himself, isn't this the stupidest method?